Local News in Brief : Group Fights Growth of Buddhist Temple
Arguing that a Buddhist temple on Coldwater Canyon Avenue has grown too large, a group of Sun Valley homeowners objected to expansion plans Monday at a zoning hearing in Van Nuys.
The Wat Thai Buddhist Temple has asked permission to add a two-story cultural center to the complex, a spiritual hub for much of the Southland’s Thai community that has been a source of controversy for several years.
About a dozen homeowners who live near the temple told James Crisp, the city’s associate zoning administrator, that a new cultural center would compound longstanding traffic and noise problems caused by weekend events at the temple. A spokesman for the group said 161 of the temple’s neighbors had signed a petition opposing any expansion.
Temple officials said the proposed center is needed to replace a broken-down building used for cultural and religious classes.
Crisp, who concluded the meeting after three hours of debate, is expected to make a decision in the next three months.
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